Red Lists
Red Lists for a number of animal and plant groups have been published for the Netherlands. These lists indicate which species are endangered.
| Official Red Lists and Red Lists in preparation | |
| Lists published in the Government Gazette (Staatscourant) | |
| Birds | 1994 |
| Butterflies | 1995 |
| Mammals | 1995 |
| Reptiles and amphibians | 1996 |
| Fungi | 1996 |
| Dragonflies | 1998 |
| Grasshoppers and crickets | 1998 |
| Lichens | 1998 |
| Freshwater fish | 1998 |
| Red Lists In preparation | |
| Bees | |
| Caddis flies, mayflies and stone flies | |
| Higher plants | |
| Marine species (e.g. sea fish) | |
| Mosses | |
| Birds (revised) | |
| Molluscs (terrestrial and freshwater molluscs) | |
| Source: Government Gazette; Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries | |
Current situation
The Red Lists indicate species whose survival is threatened. Official Red Lists have been published in the Netherlands for a small number of groups of species; these are official in the sense that they have been published in the Government Gazette. The species placed on a Red List are rare and in decline. No new Red Lists have been published since 1998. Notably, there has been no official Red List for higher plants, a group that plays a major role in nature conservation policy.
Approximately 2% of the total number of animals and 31% of the total number of plants in the Netherlands belong to groups of species with an official Red List; both endangered and non-endangered species are included.
Policy objectives
The Red Lists are one of the outcomes of the Berne Convention, which was ratified by the Netherlands in 1982. The Convention requires special attention to be paid species that are vulnerable and threatened with extinction (Articles 1 and 3). Article 7 of the Flora and Fauna Act (Flora- en faunawet) stipulates that the government should draw up lists of native animal and plant species which are under threat. The "Nature for People, People for Nature" (Natuur voor Mensen, Mensen voor Natuur) memorandum cites the Red Lists as one of the instruments of species protection.
Red List species do not automatically enjoy legal protection, but the law stipulates that the government must make efforts to protect these species and promote research to that end. The provinces, municipalities and nature area management organisations are expected to take the Red Lists into account when setting policy and performing management tasks.
